Ireland captain William Porterfield attributed the lack of momentum and solid partnership to the defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankans in Dublin last night.

Half centuries from Porterfield and all-rounder Kevin O’Brien could not rescue the Irish, as they fell to a 76-run defeat in the first ODI of the two match series in Dublin.

Speaking during the post-match conference, Porterfield also lamented the loss of his own wicket at a time when the chase remained alive, before rain further disrupted Ireland’s efforts.

He said “I think the big moment was whenever I got out just before the rain break, I think if I’d still been there going back out it would have made things a lot easier for us.”

The Irish skipper said they struggled to get any sort of partnership together after that and lost Stuart Poynter and Kevin O’Brien in quick succession. He said forward momentum and wickets in hand would have made the difference.

Ireland will now look to square the series when they take on the visitors in the second and final game tomorrow.